POTD — Shotgun Receiver Cutaway

OK. I have a confession. I don’t know if this is a cutaway or just a disassembled shotgun receiver. But as I get older, I like to know more about why and how things work.

Best guess is we are looking at a SxS, that’s Side-by-Side, shotgun receiver. It has one trigger so that controls both barrels. Typically it’s the recoil from the first shot that cocks the second shot.

So you see any clue about how that happens here?

Pro-Tip. If you are shooting a double barrel shotgun that operates like that and you get a dud. The trick to cocking the second barrel is to strike the butt of the shotgun on something solid. Not crazy hard! But it should cock the second hammer strike.

You can get snap-caps and test this out on your sporting shotguns at home. It’s a good idea to know how stuff works and why. Might come in handy in a pinch.

Yes, Freeze and I have some wing-shooting scheduled for September so shotguns are on my mind. It’s my first time, but I’m looking forward to it! Old Dog, new tricks and all that sort of thing.